Team USA Had A Perfect Start To The Olympics By Kicking The Shit Out Of Nikola Jokic And Serbia

Jesse D. Garrabrant. Getty Images.

Despite being undefeated in their Olympic tune up games, Team USA didn't really play all that well. They were sloppy, their offense stalled all too often, their approach offensively was puzzling, it certainly was not this wire to wire dominance that I think most were expecting when we first learned of this roster. It's partly what made their Olympic opener against Serbia so interesting given the fact that they have the best player in the world and are largely considered a medal caliber team. There were questions around Team USA in terms of if they'd be able to flip the switch and be dominant once the Games actually started, or if this was a group that was primed for an upset after some underachieving tune up games.

Well, I'd say we have our answer.

Team USA put on a basketball clinic to kick off their Olympic run, and the good news is they didn't even come close to hitting their ceiling. Kevin Durant made his return to the lineup and just like we all expected, was virtually unstoppable in the first half, going a perfect 8-8

A nice little reminder of why Kevin Durant is Team USA's all time leading scorer. It doesn't matter the type of shot or where it comes from on the court, International KD is a different animal. He changes everything offensively for Team USA when he steps on the floor, and the fact that this was in essence their 10th guy is simply not fair. Hopefully Steve Kerr wakes up and realizes KD should probably be in the starting lineup, because a fully healthy Kevin Durant is a basketball cheat code. No other team in the world can replicate that. 

Considering this is in a way a "send off" for KD/LeBron/Steph and that era, it should be stated that LeBron James does not look anything close to a player who is ready to be "sent off". In fact, he's been Team USA's best overall player since the tune up games and absolutely nothing about that changed today

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If KD was the story of the first half, LeBron was the story in the second. He completely took over the game on both ends of the floor, and when you get elite LeBorn playmaking combined with elite LeBron finishing in transition with elite LeBron shooting, that's exactly how you blow out whatever stands in your way. Even at his age, when LeBron decides enough is enough and he plays with force, there is not a player on the planet who can stop him. The fact that's still a thing is beyond insane, but here we are.

Team USA needed a blowout win to set the tone of these Olympicvs, and that's exactly what we got. Here are some other things that stood out from the opener

- The game really did flip when Steve Kerr went away from Embiid

This is something that sort of dates back to the tune up games, and for whatever reason Embiid just hasn't found his fit yet. Even in a matchup like this against Jokic which Embiid should thrive in, he once again struggled to the point where you almost couldn't have him on the floor. It's a little bizarre given his talent that he continues to struggle like this, but maybe it's a lineup thing? The starting unit we've seen so far has been mostly shitty in every opportunity with Embiid in the center of it, yet Kerr stays with it. Very strange.

- I don't think anyone saw a DNP-CD coming for Jayson Tatum. That was insane, and we never really heard much about it. Unless there's some sort of injury (his finger was wrapped?) or he was sick (there were reports of guys being sick), there is simply no logical reason that Jayson Tatum is a DNP-CD. Based on his answer about being sick, I'm feeling confident in saying it's not that

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so for the moment all I can do is treat it as Steve Kerr has him out of the rotation, which is jarring. 

- The best defensive backcourt in the NBA is also the best defensive backcourt in international play. Who knew?! (we did, we knew). Both Derrick White and Jrue Holiday were great on both ends, and considering this is the role they just played on the way to a title, that's not all that surprising. HOF level glue guys.

- Two things that have given Team USA issues in the past (rebounding, outside shooting) were both great today. They were able to control the glass (39-32) and the three point production wasn't even close (56% vs 24%), and that's a credit to Team USA's defense. I've always felt that the dominance of this team and how they're going to be able to sustain these types of blowouts is the work they do on the defensive end. Between the rim protection and the point of attack defense, they even made Nikola Jokic look human which is a huge win in its own right. 

Time will tell if Team USA is able to build off this win, but in terms of an opening statement I'm not sure it gets much better than what we got. This was Team USA's opportunity to remind the rest of the world who still runs this shit, and you would think as the tournament goes on this team will look better and better. 

A rematch with South Sudan (just beat Puerto Rico today) is up next, and we all know what can happen if Team USA screws around. 

But so far? So good.